Ikea plans to hire thousands of staff for small stores

The Swedish furniture giant Ikea is adding 4,000 staff to its global workforce, as part of a plans to open mini stores in city centres.

In total the company is creating 11,500 new posts, but eliminating 7,500 other jobs.

As many as 350 jobs are likely to go in the UK, mainly in head-office functions.

The new jobs will be created at smaller stores, called Touchpoints. Around 30 are planned.

The first, described by the company as a planning studio, is already trading on London's Tottenham Court Road.

Customers can visit these shops for more complicated purchases, such as whole bedrooms and kitchens, and then order them online.

Those wanting smaller items will still have to visit the larger out-of-town stores.

Javier Quinones, the boss of Ikea UK and Ireland said, "We recently announced our city centre approach, starting with London, and we will continue to invest in being more convenient through our enhanced service offer and digitalisation.

"While the opportunities ahead of us are exciting, we know that some of the changes won't always be easy and in some cases, we will have to make difficult decisions."

Ikea plans to open a new branch in London's Greenwich next year, creating 500 new jobs.